Plant CULLIN-based E3s: Phytohormones come first

CULLIN (CUL)-dependent ubiquitin ligases form a class of structurally related multi-subunit enzymes that control the rapid and selective degradation of important regulatory proteins involved in cell cycle progression and development, among others. Several classes of these E3s are also conserved in plants and genetic analyses, using Arabidopsis thaliana, indicate that they play an important function during plant development and responses to the environment. In this review, we will discuss the molecular composition and function of these enzymes in plants with a major emphasis on phytohormone signal transduction pathways.